Capacitor question
 

On the hottest day of the year, my mom's central air stops working last night. I went to see it today only to forget my tools. I took a pic of the capacitor. I know sometimes they blow up if it goes bad. I took a pic and if any of you know it's bad, let me know. See how the top is blown or rounded instead of flat. I don't have time to go check it tomorrow and thinking about just buying a new one to replace it. Knowing my luck, it's something else like a compressor. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1597626753.jpg

Bulging round top = bad capacitor. Safe bet you'll fix the problem.

The top should be flat. Change it out.

I always buy a spare contactor and spare capacitor for each Air Conditioner. The two most common failures, not related to loss of gas. And they always go out on a weekend or Fourth of July.

Buy a capacitor made in the USA. They are hard to find, but available. The Chinese ones that have flooded the market are crap, they can fail within 24 hours. Ask me how I know.

Very true!

We have some experts in HVAC here who can chime in with their recommendations and advice.

In the meantime I will only add that there's a label on it with Microfarad ratings which should be duplicated on the new one so it matches up properly.

Best if you can take it with you when you buy the replacement or keep it next to you as a reference when ordering a new one online.

More here:

Buying a New HVAC Capacitor

You can see the Mfd rating in this pic....50/5.....

https://www.acicontrols.com/media/ca...320064.126.jpg

Amazon has them in case you can't get one locally. Usually they are less expensive if you buy one online.

You can also see “made in China.”

Run Away!

It was just an image I found on the net to use as an example.

Aren't most of them made in China, though?

I agree in principle with your point, but then again --- any port in a storm may also apply, especially when your AC is down!

Yes, most of them on the market are made in China, which is the problem.

Just pointing out to those that don’t know that there are alternatives available if you look for them and that this is one area where China truly turns out a ****ty product.

Take my advice, your life will be better for it.

Driving out to HVAC wholesaler right after I hit enter now. I can't wait in this heat. This heatwave will continue for the next couple days. My 83 year old mom will have my ass if I order on line. Thanks for the tip on the Chinese made product. This came with a brand new unit (American Standard) and it lasted it over 16 years.

Right now, take what you can get and get the A/C up and going. Don't be picky just make sure it's a good match for the current capacitor.
Make sure you pay attention to the connections on the old capacitor!! They'll be Fan, Com, Herm or something along those lines. You need to be sure the wires on the old capacitor go to the correct terminals on the new capacitor.

Step 1, turn off the power, remove the leads and label if needed.
Step 2, use a screwdriver and short the terminals to drain any excess current. (these things can kill you quick)
Step 3, test the cap with a VOM and it should read close to the label specs +/- 10%.

If it is O/L or out of spec, replace it. Good luck finding a USA cap these days, nearly everything comes from the CCP.

If it is within spec, it is ugly but still good. Test your contactor and your disconnect fuses and replace as needed.

We don't have a local supplier is why I mentioned Amazon. If you can get what you need locally, that's the way to go.

Chinese vs. domestic. Domestic preferred - unless it's creates a delay.

With anyone, let alone your 83 year old Mom, get her some relief now!

Most motor rebuild shops should have them, voltage and heat rating should be same or greater than what is on the original.

Indeed. I once replaced an AC capacitor with one I bought on Ebay only to have the capacitor explode and catch my AC unit on fire within 24 hours.

Fortunately there's not much to burn inside an AC condensor unit and my neighbor happened to be standing nearby when it exploded -- not sure extinguishing the fire with the hose the best idea, but it worked. Damage was minimal but I did have to replace some wiring that got melted.

If you need help with billing, my sister paid $650 to have a guy come out July 3rd (friday night) to pull the capacitor off her 2nd zone and swap it to her first.

No new parts, 20 minutes, $650.

The AC and heating supply houses have all gone to "contractor only" sales. They are the best source for a good quality cap. I still have a GC license but it's no good at the HVAC place. I have to buy online or at the big box.

True about shorting the cap before going near the terminals. SOooooo, be sure to use well insulated needle nose to yank the staycons. These things can hold a charge for days on end.